COLLEGE BASEBALL : Titans Get Break in Nick of Time : South Regional: Fullerton wins, 7-6, when Fraser scores on error with two outs in ninth.

Cal State Fullerton is the nation’s top-ranked college baseball team, but the Titans had to battle to the wire Thursday for a 7-6 victory in the NCAA South Regional against Northeast Louisiana, a team that finished third in its conference during the regular season.

It took a Northeast Louisiana throwing error with two outs in the ninth inning for Fullerton (50-9) to score the winning run in the regional’s opening game.

Jack Jones was safe on shortstop Tommy Smith’s high throw, enabling Joe Fraser to score from third.

“I really thought I was out,” Jones said. “But I hustled it out, and when I saw their first baseman have to go up for it, I knew I had a chance and slid under him.”

Coach Augie Garrido breathed a sigh of relief after the narrow escape against the regional’s sixth-seeded team. Fullerton’s 11th consecutive victory advanced the Titans into the second round against James Madison at 1 p.m. (PST) today.

“We got only one break in the whole game, and that was the last one,” Garrido said. “But both teams played extremely hard. I think it probably shows the competitiveness of this tournament.”

The Titans had a chance to win it earlier in the inning, but pinch-hitter Robert Matos was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on Fraser’s ground-ball single over second. A walk to D.C. Olsen and a passed ball put the runners on second and third before Fraser scored.

Smoke Laval, a former Louisiana State assistant who has turned the Northeast Louisiana program around by winning the Southland Conference tournament title, said the final inning was typical of how Fullerton pressures opponents.

“They keep the pressure on you all the time offensively,” Laval said. “They’re definitely a very good baseball team, and it seemed like they could have broken it open any time.”

The Titans pulled out all the stops, bringing in their top starting pitcher, Ted Silva, for the ninth. Silva, being held back to pitch in Fullerton’s anticipated matchup against second-seeded Louisiana State, retired the Indians in order in the ninth, striking out two. He picked up his 15th victory of the season, tying the school record. Silva has only one loss.

“We had to play a lot of cards out there today, and it was an expensive game for us from that standpoint,” Garrido said.

Left-hander Tim Dixon started for the Titans but gave up four runs, three of them earned, on five hits and three walks. Mark Chavez came on in the sixth, but gave up two runs in the seventh that tied the score.

“It was tough out there today with that heat,” Silva said of the 90-degree temperature at Alex Box Stadium. “The only way pitchers are going to be going as much as eight innings would be in a blowout.”

Fraser and Tony Martinez led the Titans’ 17-hit attack, each with three. Jones and catcher Brian Loyd had two hits. Fullerton’s top hitter, Mark Kotsay, was one for five, but was denied a home run in the fourth when the third base umpire ruled his shot down the left-field line was outside the foul pole.

Fullerton coaches protested, and even the father of the opposing pitcher, Kelly Jones, who was watching from the left-field bleachers, told a reporter he thought the ball was fair.

Fullerton took a 2-0 lead in the first. Kotsay drilled a shot to third, which the infielder couldn’t handle, driving in Tony Miranda, who had doubled and moved to third on a sacrifice. Fraser later singled in Jeremy Giambi, who had reached on a fielder’s choice.

Northeast picked up a run in the second when Chris Coffield singled and scored on a sacrifice fly, then took a 3-2 lead in the third on Andy Russell’s two-run homer.

Fullerton rebounded with a four-run third. Giambi doubled to open the inning, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a fielder’s choice. Loyd, who singled and stole second, scored on Jones’ hit. Martinez drove in the third run of the inning, scoring Fraser, who walked. Olsen scored on Miranda’s sacrifice fly.

Northeast closed the gap to 6-4 in the fourth when Brian Keswick reached on an error, moved to third on Dixon’s wild pitch and scored on an infield out.

Northeast scored two runs off Chavez in the seventh, tying the score, 6-6, with a double by Shannon Cooley and singles by Russell and Keswick.

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Titan Notes

Jeremy Giambi and Mark Kotsay had minor injuries in the game. “I rolled my ankle just a little one time when I came out of the batter’s box, but I’ll be fine,” Kotsay said a few hours after the game. Trainer Chris Mumaw was more concerned with Giambi, who suffered a bruise on the instep of his right foot when a foul ball hit him in the box. “We’ll have a better idea on him tomorrow,” Mumaw said. “But he was having some trouble with it during the game.” The Titan coaches moved Tony Miranda into center field so Kotsay wouldn’t have to cover as much ground. Kotsay played left field and right field late in the game.